Cell



July 6,1943. J, E, QREECH 2,323,455

, i CELL Filed Jan. 19, 1942 TTORNEY Patented July 6, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT @FFME CELL .lesse Elliott Creech, Jacksonville, Fla.

Application January 19, 1942, Serial No. 427,249

3 Claims.

The invention relates particularly to cells for conning violent prisoners and mental patients, the salient objects being to safeguard the occupant of the cell against self-inflicted injuries as far as possible, to prevent the occupant from damaging the cell, and to provide for convenient and thorough cleansing of the cell.

The accompanying drawing discloses one way in which the invention may be practiced, Figure 1 being a horizontal sectional View of the cell,

taken in the plane of dotted line I-I of Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental sectional view taken in the same plane as Fig. 1, but on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a fragmental vertical sectional View of the cell, taken in the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. l. FightL is a fragmental vertical section in the Plane of dotted line 4-4 of Fig. l. Fig, 5 is a fragmental horizontal section through the front wall of the cell and the door. Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional View taken in the plane of dotted line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

The invention has particular reference to the interior construction of the cell; hence it will be understood that the structural members of the walls, floor and ceiling or roof of the cell may be of any desired character. I-n the drawing, I denotes the floor, 2 the walls, 3 the ceiling or roof, and 4 a door in the front wall of the cell.

The floor and the interior surfaces of the walls and the door are covered with smooth flexible, imperforate metal plates supported upon springs so as to yield to pressure exerted upon them by the occupant of the cell.

Referring rst to the floor, it will be noted that a flexible metal sheet 5 is supported at its edges by a rectangular frame 6 (Figs. 3, 4 and 6) mounted on the oor I in any preferred manner. The edges of the sheet 5 are attached to the frame 6 in any desired way. Within the frame 8 the sheet 5 is supported by a multiplicity of equidistantly spaced coiled springs 1 (Fig. 3), the springs being attached to the oor in any desired manner. The frame 6 is spaced from the walls just suiciently to provide room for a gutter 8 that extends completely around the cell. The gutter is below the plane of the sheet 5 and is incli-ned so as to direct liquids to a drain pipe 9 which is preferably connected to the gutter at a point below the door 4, as best shown in Fig. 4.

The four vertical walls are covered with a ilexible, imperforate metallic sheet lil. At the corners of the cell the sheet I0 is curved as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. The upper edge of the sheet I!) is attached to a rectangular frame II (Fig. 3) secured to the walls and extending around the Y tinuous sheet.

room at such a height from the floor as to be out of reach of the occupant. The lower edge of the sheet I8 is similarly attached to a rectangular frame I2 xed to the walls and extending around the room close to the floor, but spaced sufliciently from the oor to permit water to flow freely into the gutter 8. As shown in Fig. 3, the gutter underlies the frame I2. As indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, there are fillets I2a in the corners of the frame I2, the lower edges of the curved corner portions of the sheet I0 being attached to said llets. Intermediate the frames II and I2, the sheet I0 is supported or backed by a multiplicity of coiled springs I3 which are connected to the sheet I8 and the walls by any desired means.

In the front wall of the cell is a doorway I4 (Fig. l). Within the cell the doorway is defined by metallic struts or frame members I5 (Fig. 5) to which the adjacent edges of the sheet I0 are attached. The door 4 is hinged at I8 (Fig. 5) to swing into and out of the doorway. On the inner face of the door is a flexible, imperiorate metallic sheet Il, the vertical edges of which are attached to metal struts or frame members I8 corresponding to the struts I5. The lower edge of the sheet II is attached to a bar I9 (Fig. 4) ailXed to the door. The upper edge (not shown) of the sheet Il may be similarly connected to the door. The body of the sheet I'I is supported by coiled springs 28 (Fig. 5) connected to the sheet and to the door in any preferred manner.

The cell is provided with light and ventilation by means of an opening (not shown) in the ceiling, the opening being beyond the reach of the occupant.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that all portions of the interior of the cell within reach of the occupant are covered with yielding surfaces, save at the edges of the door, the doorway, the line ci juncture of the floor covering 5 and the gutter, and the line of juncture of the wall covering ID and the frame I2. These yielding surfaces are smooth and imperforate, the Wall surfaces being continuo-us with one another and the floor surface also being formed of a. con- These surfaces yield to blows of the occupant and thus reduce to a minimum the possibility of self-inflicted injury. Pressure eX- erted in a rounded corner of the sheet I0 will cause the portions adjacent to the'corner to yield.

There are no protruding elements within the cell which could be grasped by the occupant and torn loose or destroyed. It will also be noted that the juncture of the floor covering and the gutter and the juncture between the Wall covering, the frame I2 and the Wall are continuous and imperforate, thus affording no crevice into which the occupant could insert his fingers and tear anything loose.

The gutter is located directly below the frame I2, thus placing the unyielding edges of the floor plate 5 as near the Walls as possibley and therefore in a position where such unyielding parts are least likely to be struck in case the occupant falls.

The cell may be thoroughly cleansed by flushing it out with a hose, the Water being drained away through the gutter 8 and the pipe 9.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cell in which to conne a violent person comprising four rigid vertical walls and a floor, and a resilient surface on said walls, said surface being formed of a smooth continuous flexible imperforate metallic sheet, means for securing the lower edge of the sheet in Xed position adjacent to the floor, means for securing the upper edge 0f the sheet in Xed position at points above the reach of an occupant of the cell, and springs interposed between the sheet and the Walls to support the sheet to yield to pressure of an occupant of the cell.

2. A cell in which to conine a violent person comprising four rigid Vertical walls and a floor, and a resilient surface 0n said walls, said surface being formed of a smooth continuous flexible imperforate metallic sheet, means for securing the lower edge of the sheet in fixed position adjacent to the floor, springs interposed between the sheet and the Walls for supporting the sheet to yield to pressure of an occupant of the cell, and a gutter extending around the oor adjacent to the Walls, said sheet and springs directly overlying the gutter.

3. A cell in which to confine a violent person having four rigid walls and a oor, a gutter extending around the cell adjacent to the Walls, and a exible covering for the floor, said covering comprising a smooth flexible imperforate metallic sheet, means for securing the edges of said sheet in xed position adjacent to the gutter, and a multiplicity of coiled springs beneath the sheet to support the latter yieldingly against the pressure of an occupant of the cell.

JESSE ELLIOTT CREECH. 

